>> Sunday, August 31, 2008

First a special Thank You! to Tony & Meeta for hosting this month's event. You can check out all the other DB's efforts here.

I would have stayed in bed if I'd known what fresh hell was awaiting today. But seriously! Chocolate Éclairs! With chocolate pastry cream and chocolate glaze! What could be bad? Well, let me tell you. First there was a farcical string of technical issues, like egg shell in the choux and hubs deciding to dump out all the ice. Then there was the mysterious disappearance of every.single.one. of my piping bags, the unexplainable absence of a wooden spoon, and inexplicably neither box of parchment paper still has it's metal cutting strip attached. Gremlins? Poltergeists? Children of the Corn? I don't know about you, but I smell a brat. Or two. And ultimately? We just didn't like 'em. The éclairs I mean, not the children.

I like the recipe for the dough. You get to use the Kitchenaid to mix in all those eggs which is way easier than beating them in with a wooden spoon one at a time while praying your arm doesn't fall off.

Whipped cream tastes good.

And now, the negatives.

The éclair recipe suggests 20 minutes total baking time. As if! My pastries were about one inch smaller than suggested and I baked them for a total of 27 minutes. Honestly I think they could have gone a few more minutes still, judging by the eggy taste. Also - opening the door midway? More than half were collapsed within 3 minutes. My experience suggests that was not such a good thing to do.

The chocolate pastry cream? Jello instant pudding. Only thicker. And not as tasty. Too much cornstarch? Cheap chocolate? I don't know - either way - not impressed, Mr. Hermé, not impressed.

Chocolate glaze? Eh. I could take it or leave it. Which is disappointing because I had pretty much planned on eating it with a spoon. Again, this might have a lot to do with the chocolate I bought. Ghirardelli 60% for inquiring minds.

And the chocolate sauce. Why Pierre? Why? Why add 1 CUP of water then spend the next 30 minutes stirring while it thickens? Necessary? I think not. And to add insult to injury, I was unable to determine any appreciable improvement in the chocolate glaze after adding the chocolate sauce. Plus I now have 3/4 cup of leftover sauce that just really doesn't taste all that good. Chocolate sauce = complete fail. I heard a rumor this makes excellent chocolate milk though, so I reserve the right to retract that last statement.

And because I've made it all sound oh so enticing - here's the recipe in full for your baking dis-pleasure. Or you could just come on over and eat the 22 that are left. Maybe we're just doughnut people.

1) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Divide the oven into thirds bypositioning the racks in the upper and lower half of the oven. Line two baking sheets withwaxed or parchment paper.

2) Fill a large pastry bag fitted with a 2/3 (2cm) plain tip nozzle with the warm cream puff dough.Pipe the dough onto the baking sheets in long, 4 to 41/2 inches (about 11 cm) chubby fingers.Leave about 2 inches (5 cm) space in between each dough strip to allow them room to puff.The dough should give you enough to pipe 20-24 éclairs.

3) Slide both the baking sheets into the oven and bake for 7 minutes. After the 7 minutes, slip thehandle of a wooden spoon into the door to keep in ajar. When the éclairs have been in theoven for a total of 12 minutes, rotate the sheets top to bottom and front to back. Continuebaking for a further 8 minutes or until the éclairs are puffed, golden and firm. The total bakingtime should be approximately 20 minutes.

Notes:1) The éclairs can be kept in a cool, dry place for several hours before filling.

1) Slice the éclairs horizontally, using a serrated knife and a gently sawing motion. Set aside thebottoms and place the tops on a rack over a piece of parchment paper.

2) The glaze should be barely warm to the touch (between 95 – 104 degrees F or 35 – 40degrees C, as measured on an instant read thermometer). Spread the glaze over the tops ofthe éclairs using a metal icing spatula. Allow the tops to set and in the meantime fill thebottoms with the pastry cream.

3) Pipe or spoon the pastry cream into the bottoms of the éclairs. Make sure you fill the bottomswith enough cream to mound above the pastry. Place the glazed tops onto the pastry creamand wriggle gently to settle them.

Notes:1) If you have chilled your chocolate glaze, reheat by placing it in a bowl over simmering water,stirring it gently with a wooden spoon. Do not stir too vigorously as you do not want to createbubbles.

2) Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, add all of the flour at once, reduce the heat to mediumand start to stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough comes together veryquickly. Do not worry if a slight crust forms at the bottom of the pan, it’s supposed to. Youneed to carry on stirring for a further 2-3 minutes to dry the dough. After this time the doughwill be very soft and smooth.

3) Transfer the dough into a bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using yourhandmixer or if you still have the energy, continue by hand. Add the eggs one at a time,beating after each egg has been added to incorporate it into the dough.You will notice that after you have added the first egg, the dough will separate, once again donot worry. As you keep working the dough, it will come back all together again by the time youhave added the third egg. In the end the dough should be thick and shiny and when lifted itshould fall back into the bowl in a ribbon.

4) The dough should be still warm. It is now ready to be used for the éclairs as directed above.

Notes:1) Once the dough is made you need to shape it immediately.

2) You can pipe the dough and the freeze it. Simply pipe the dough onto parchment-lined bakingsheets and slide the sheets into the freezer. Once the dough is completely frozen, transfer thepiped shapes into freezer bags. They can be kept in the freezer for up to a month.

1) In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. In the meantime, combine the yolks, sugar and cornstarch together and whisk in a heavy‐bottomed saucepan.

2) Once the milk has reached a boil, temper the yolks by whisking a couple spoonfuls of the hot milk into the yolk mixture.Continue whisking and slowly pour the rest of the milk into the tempered yolk mixture.

3) Strain the mixture back into the saucepan to remove any egg that may have scrambled. Place the pan over medium heat and whisk vigorously (without stop) until the mixture returns to a boil. Keep whisking vigorously for 1 to 2 more minutes (still over medium heat).Stir in the melted chocolate and then remove the pan from the heat.

4) Scrape the pastry cream into a small bowl and set it in an ice‐water bath to stop the cooking process. Make sure to continue stirring the mixture at this point so that it remains smooth.

5) Once the cream has reached a temperature of 140 F remove from the ice‐water bath and stir in the butter in three or four installments. Return the cream to the ice‐water bath to continue cooling, stirring occasionally, until it has completely cooled. The cream is now ready to use or store in the fridge.

[bNotes:[/b]1) The pastry cream can be made 2‐3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

2) In order to avoid a skin forming on the pastry cream, cover with plastic wrap pressed onto the cream.

3) Tempering the eggs raises the temperature of the eggs slowly so that they do not scramble.

1)In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and slowly begin to add the chocolate, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula.

2) Stirring gently, stir in the butter, piece by piece followed by the chocolate sauce.

Notes: 1) If the chocolate glaze is too cool (i.e. not liquid enough) you may heat it briefly in the microwave or over a double boiler. A double boiler is basically a bowl sitting over (not touching) simmering water.

2) It is best to glaze the eclairs after the glaze is made, but if you are pressed for time, you can make the glaze a couple days ahead of time, store it in the fridge and bring it up to the proper temperature (95 to 104 F) when ready to glaze.

1) Place all the ingredients into a heavy‐bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil, making sure to stir constantly. Then reduce the heat to low and continue stirring with a wooden spoon until the sauce thickens.

2) It may take 10‐15 minutes for the sauce to thicken, but you will know when it is done when it coats the back of your spoon.

Notes: 1) You can make this sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for two weeks. Reheat the sauce in a microwave oven or a double boiler before using.2) This sauce is also great for cakes, ice-cream and tarts.

I'm with you - way too much effort for the result. Just didn't work for me either.

And to be honest, I used plain ganache (chocolate and cream) for the topping. Much easier, tastes fantastic. Which I know, by the way, because I did indeed eat it with a spoon. A whole heck of a lot of it. (Cut me some slack - I didn't eat the eclairs.) ;)

haha! Love your post...very honest! I was happy that I didn't have a total failed attept as this was my first month participating, but I am hoping for some tastier recipes in the future! Thanks for stopping by my blog!

You are a great, funny, funny writer. I'm so glad you came by so I'd come and see you!1. Totally agree on the glaze. Mine got better the next day BTW. I've seen some others that were much thicker, maybe they just used ganache?2. When I first tasted the cream I thought the EXACT same thing about the jello pudding. Then I added much darker chocolate and made it much chocolatier - and then it was yum. But you gotta love chocolate.3. You really are funny.

Your comments are spot on about the negatives. I did one as per recipe very average and then did one the way I thought it should be (baking the choux 30 mins at 220C, simple chocolate/cream glaze with whipped cream and sour cherry filling) much better and a whole lot more fattening and decadent. Love your writing. Yours Audax

Cold, the chocolate sauce makes an ok chocolate milk. I will be trying it warmed next. And thank you for making me feel better for not making these! (And even if they didn't taste great they sure look pretty and that's what matters right?)

Cold, the chocolate sauce makes an ok chocolate milk. I will be trying it warmed next. And thank you for making me feel better for not making these! (And even if they didn't taste great they sure look pretty and that's what matters right?)

Aww. Sorry it didnt work out and things were working against you. They turned out well for me but just didnt have the zing and melt in the mouth quality I was hoping for. I was in Lille over the weekend, I think I will leave French pastries to the French!

I have to agree with you on the chocolate sauce/glaze. They were all right, but not worth all the effort! For my Take 2, I just went with a ganache for the topping. I liked everything else, though, and my waistline shows it! :)

see?? THIS is why i don't, ok, can't, cook.to go to all that trouble and then end up with a meal that makes my hubunit take a bite, make a face and then I make a face and it all goes downhill from there. not cool. but it does accurately sum up my cooking experiences over the years.bitter you ask? why yes.btw, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment on the underwear top. bedazzled. oh yeah. hey, maybe that's what these eclairs needed. you'd think someone with the name herme would already have thought of that.do i need to do everything for these people??

Mother of ASS. You mean we're supposed to post the recipe as well? I'm not sure I'm capable of doing this without adding commentary that might offend the sensibilities of Monsieur Herme. But, then again, if his sensibilities re: the water in the chocolate are anything to go by, I have no problems whatsoever offending him. The French are a silly people in that way.

I'm glad that I'm not the only one that didn't like them. Thanks for the comment about the pudding-try it, it really is delicious! A lot more delicious than the egg tasting Martha Stewart cream I made and threw in the trash and a hell of a lot easier!

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit me on my first DB challenge! I totally agree about that chocolate sauce, although I definitely see a glass of chocolate milk in my future. Gotta try something to make use of all that good expensive chocolate I used!

Glad to see I'm not the only one who did not get that chocolate sauce part. And I'm with you on the oven door part - it didn't help! I eventually cut mine open, layed them flat, and put them back in the oven to dry out.